RANCHO SANTA FE — Numerous projects continue to funnel through the Covenant Design Review Committee (CDRC). According to Tom Farrar, Rancho Santa Fe Association building commissioner, 450 projects are forecasted this fiscal year. This estimate was up by 20 when compared to his monthly report numbers in April.
During the May monthly board meeting, Farrar told the board and covenant residents that in addition to new construction and remodels, one commercial project coming through was the relocation of the RSF Pharmacy, which would allow for a larger footprint at the corner of El Tordo and La Granada.
“It’s kitty-corner to the existing pharmacy,” he said, adding how the project had undergone two CDRC workshops.
Farrar also encouraged members to come by the Association office to learn more about it.
Parking for the new pharmacy is expected to have 12 spaces, and Farrar indicated that the site would be pedestrian friendly.
However, Farrar said the proposed rooftop parking for the business was an item that the CDRC was assessing closely. The committee wants to make certain the parking would not be visible at the street level.
“We’re pretty excited about the pharmacy,” he said.
Farrar told the board and covenant residents how the CDRC was also looking into regulatory code amendments. Certain sections need more refinement such as grading, parking, major and minor construction definitions, water features, outdoor lighting and animal horse keeping.
For example, new water feature projects should utilize reclaimed water and have a form of vector control. Farrar said that these amendments were by no means to overregulate but to merely address the issues.
During the April board meeting, Farrar was asked to look into the issue of noise. Raised concerns included gas versus electric leaf blowers to decrease disturbances. Other matters included running lawn mowers or doing construction on Sundays. It was President Fred Wasserman’s belief that most associations prohibited these things and he wanted Farrar to look into it.
Farrar told the board he discovered that San Diego County has a noise ordinance that is 90 pages in length. He said he believed the Association could use the document as a gauge for enforcement.
“And we could work directly with the county,” Farrar said.
